355 govt land lease violations detected across district; Pune city, Haveli taluka top the chart

Pune: Pune city and Haveli taluka recorded the highest number of violations involving govt land leased on a long-term basis, prompting the district administration to issue notices to defaulting institutions, officials said on Wednesday.Land lease violations include non-renewal of leases, use of land for purposes other than those permitted, occupation beyond the sanctioned area, unauthorised constructions, sub-letting for rental income, failure to utilise land within stipulated timelines, and deviations from approved plans.
A district-wide survey, launched last year, covered all 2,161 govt land parcels leased across Pune district. Field inspections were completed in all cases, with officials detecting 355 violations. Of the notices issued so far, the maximum number of breaches was found in Pune city and Haveli taluka, officials told TOI.Officials said the drive gained momentum after irregularities surfaced in the Mundhwa and Tathwade cases, leading to a wider verification of govt land records across the district. Pune collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI: "During routine class-II review meetings held in Sept and Oct last year, I directed officials to conduct a comprehensive survey. Field inspections were carried out for all leased lands and 355 violations were identified. Notices were served to all parties concerned and some already submitted their replies." He said action would be taken strictly in accordance with govt regulations. "There are three possible courses of action. If a violation is eligible for regularisation, the party concerned will have to pay charges as per the applicable govt resolution. If the land was not used for the purpose for which it was allotted, or if the extension period expired, proceedings to resume the land would be initiated. Hearings will be conducted after notices, following which appropriate action will be taken. These violations continued for several years, with Pune city and Haveli accounting for the maximum number of cases," Dudi said. The Mundhwa controversy surfaced in Nov 2025 and involved alleged manipulation of records related to a nearly 40-acre govt-owned Mahar Watan land parcel leased to the Botanical Survey of India. In a separate case, the Maharashtra animal husbandry department in Nov filed a police complaint against 26 people, including the acting joint sub-registrar (class II), Haveli-17, over the alleged illegal sale of a 6.32-hectare govt plot in Tathwade near Wakad. The land, valued at nearly Rs 750 crore, was allegedly sold through a private transaction for Rs 33 crore, despite being classified as non-transferable govt property requiring prior state approval. Following these cases, the district collector ordered verification of govt land records across all talukas. In the first phase of scrutiny, 355 violations were detected.